Seven word of the cross

The sayings of Jesus on the cross (sometimes called the Seven Last Words from the Cross) are seven expressions biblically attributed to during his crucifixion. Traditionally, the brief sayings have been called «words».

The seven sayings are gathered from the four canonical gospels.[1][2] In Matthew and Mark, Jesus cries out to God. In Luke, he forgives his killers, reassures the penitent thief, and commends his spirit to the Father. In John, he speaks to his mother, says he thirsts, and declares the end of his earthly life. This is an example of the Christian approach to the construction of a gospel harmony, in which material from different gospels is combined, producing an account that goes beyond each gospel.[3][4]

Since the 16th century, these sayings have been widely used in sermons on Good Friday, and entire books have been written on theological analysis of them.[3][5][6] The Seven Last Words from the Cross are an integral part of the liturgy in the Catholic, Protestant, and other Christian traditions.[7][8] Several composers have set the sayings to music.

OverviewEdit

In the following table, the seven sayings are arranged according to their traditional order.[9] However, all seven sayings cannot be found in any one account of Jesus’ crucifixion. The ordering is a harmonisation of the texts from each of the four canonical gospels. Three of the sayings appear only in Luke and three only in John. One other saying appears both in Matthew and Mark, and another («It is finished») is only directly quoted in John but alluded to in Matthew and Mark.[3]

Quotations here and throughout this article are taken from the King James translation, except where otherwise noted.

Sayings of Jesus on the cross Gospel of Psalm
Matt. Mark. Luke John
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. 23:34
Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 23:43
Woman, behold thy son! and Behold thy mother! 19:26–27
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 27:46 15:34 22:2
I thirst. 19:28 22:16, 69:22, 42:1
It is finished. 19:30 22:32
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. 23:46 31:5

Theological interpretationsEdit

Traditionally, these seven sayings are called words of:

  1. Forgiveness,
  2. Salvation,
  3. Relationship,
  4. Abandonment,
  5. Distress,
  6. Triumph, and
  7. Reunion.[1]

The sayings form part of the Stations of the Cross, a Christian meditation that is often used during Lent, Holy Week and Good Friday.

The Dominican author Timothy Radcliffe sees the number seven as significant, as the number of perfection in the Bible. He writes that as God created the world in seven days, «these seven words belong to God’s completion of that creation».[10]

HistoricityEdit

James Dunn considers the seven sayings weakly rooted in tradition and sees them as a part of the elaborations in the diverse retellings of Jesus’ final hours.[11] He does, however, argue in favour of the authenticity of the Mark/Matthew saying, in which Jesus seems to describe himself as forsaken by God. This would have been an embarrassment to the early Church, and hence would likely not have been invented.[11] Leslie Houlden suggests that Luke may have deliberately excluded this saying from his gospel because it did not fit in with the model of Jesus he was presenting.[3][6]

The seven sayingsEdit

1. Father, forgive them; for they know not what they doEdit

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

— Luke 23:34[12]

This first saying of Jesus on the cross is traditionally called «The Word of Forgiveness».[1] It is theologically interpreted as Jesus’ prayer for forgiveness for the Roman soldiers who were crucifying him and all others who were involved in his crucifixion.[13][14][15][16]

Some early manuscripts do not include this sentence in Luke 23:34.[17] Biblical scholars such as Bart Ehrman have argued that it was omitted by some scribes because of anti-Judaic sentiment around the second century.[18]

2. To day shalt thou be with me in paradiseEdit

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

— Luke 23:43[19]

This saying is traditionally called «The Word of Salvation».[1] According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was crucified between two thieves (traditionally named Dismas and Gestas), one of whom supports Jesus’ innocence and asks him to remember him when he comes into his kingdom. Jesus replies, «Verily I say unto thee…» (ἀμήν λέγω σοί, amēn legō soi), followed with the only appearance of the word «Paradise» in the gospels (παραδείσω, paradeisō, originally from Persian pairidaeza, «paradise garden»).

A seemingly simple change in punctuation in this saying has been the subject of doctrinal differences among Christian groups, given the lack of punctuation in the original Greek texts.[20] Catholics and most Protestant Christians usually use a version which reads «today you will be with me in Paradise».[20] This reading assumes a direct voyage to Heaven and has no implications of purgatory.[20] On the other hand, some Protestants who believe in soul sleep have used a reading which emphasizes «I say to you today», leaving open the possibility that the statement was made today, but arrival in Heaven may be later.[20]

3. Woman, behold, thy son! Behold, thy mother!Edit

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

— John 19:26–27[21]

This statement is traditionally called «The Word of Relationship» and in it Jesus entrusts Mary, his mother, into the care of «the disciple whom Jesus loved».[1]

Jesus also addresses his mother as «woman» in John 2:4.[22] Although this sounds dismissive in English, the Greek word is a term of respect or tenderness.[23][24] Catholic commentators, on the basis of these two passages, often connect Mary with the «woman» of Genesis 3:15, and the «woman clothed with the sun» in Revelation 12, and therefore see this title of «woman» as a justification for the veneration of Mary as a second Eve.[25]

4. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?Edit

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

— Mark 15:34[26]

And the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

— Matthew 27:46[27]

This is the only saying which appears in more than one gospel,[1] and is a quote from Psalm 22:1. In both accounts, the words spoken by Jesus have been transliterated from Aramaic into Greek, and there are slight differences between the two versions (Mark: Ἐλωΐ, Ἐλωΐ, λαμὰ σαβαχθανί; Matthew: Ἠλί, Ἠλί, λεμὰ σαβαχθανί). These differences are most probably due to dialect. Matthew’s version seems to have been more influenced by Hebrew, whereas Mark’s is perhaps more colloquial.[citation needed]

In the verses immediately following this saying, in both gospels, the onlookers who hear Jesus’ cry mistakenly believe him to be calling for help from Elijah.

This saying is taken by some as an abandonment of the Son by the Father. Another interpretation holds that at the moment when Jesus took upon himself the sins of humanity, the Father had to turn away from the Son because the Father is «of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong» (ESV).[28] Other theologians understand the cry as that of one who was truly human and who felt forsaken. Put to death by his foes, very largely deserted by his friends, he may have also felt deserted by God.[29]

Others see these words in the context of Psalm 22 and suggest that Jesus recited these words, perhaps even the whole psalm, «that he might show himself to be the very Being to whom the words refer; so that the Jewish scribes and people might examine and see the cause why he would not descend from the cross; namely, because this very psalm showed that it was appointed that he should suffer these things.»[30]

Although the gospel writers transliterate Jesus’s words as lama sabachthani, the phrase as found in Psalm 22 is lama azavtani (למה עזבתני). Azavtani translates as «left, abandoned, forsaken», but the word sabachthani is not found in any early Jewish texts. It may derive from zavah, meaning «to sacrifice, slaughter», in which case the word may have been chosen to emphasise the connection between the crucifixion of Jesus and the Passover sacrifice.[31]

A. T. Robertson noted that the «so-called Gospel of Peter 1.5 preserves this saying in a Docetic (Cerinthian) form: ‘My power, my power, thou hast forsaken me!‘«[32][33]

5. I thirstEdit

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

— John 19:28[34]

This statement is traditionally called «The Word of Distress» and is compared and contrasted with the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.[1]

Only John records this saying, but all four gospels relate that Jesus was offered a drink of sour wine. In Mark and Matthew, a sponge was soaked in the wine and lifted up to Jesus on a reed; John says the same, but states that the sponge was affixed to a hyssop branch. This may have been intended as symbolically significant, as hyssop branches are often mentioned in the Old Testament in the context of the use of sacrificial blood for ritual purification.[35]

This statement of Jesus is interpreted by John as fulfilment of the prophecy given in Psalm 69:21, «in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink»;[36] hence the quotation from John’s gospel includes the comment «that the scripture might be fulfilled». The Jerusalem Bible cross-references Psalm 22:15: «my palate is drier than a potsherd, and my tongue is stuck to my jaw».[37]

6. It is finishedEdit

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

— John 19:30[38]

This statement is traditionally called «The Word of Triumph» and is theologically interpreted as the announcement of the end of the earthly life of Jesus, in anticipation for the Resurrection.[1]

The Greek word translated «It is finished» is tetelestai (τετέλεσται).[39] The verse has also been translated as «It is consummated.»[40] On business documents or receipts it has been used to denote «The debt is paid in full».[41]

The utterance after consuming the beverage and immediately before death is mentioned, but not explicitly quoted, in Mark 15:37 and Matthew 27:50 (both of which state that Jesus «cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost»).

7. Father, into thy hands I commend my spiritEdit

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

— Luke 23:46[42]

From Psalm 31:5, this saying, which is an announcement and not a request, is traditionally called «The Word of Reunion» and is theologically interpreted as the proclamation of Jesus joining God the Father in Heaven.[1]

The words of Luke 23:46, or the fuller Psalm 31:5, have subsequently been attributed as last words of famous people, especially those considered pious Christians, such as martyrs or saints.[43][44][45] These include
Philip the Apostle (died AD 80),[46] Basil the Great (AD 379),[45][47] Charlemagne (died 814),[45][48] Ansgar (865),[49] Thomas Becket (1170),[45][50] Jan Hus (1415),[45][51][44][52] Christopher Columbus (1506),[45][53] Ludovica Albertoni (1533),[54] Martin Luther (1546),[55] George Wishart (1546),[56] Lady Jane Grey (1554),[44][57] her father Henry, Duke of Suffolk (1555),[45] Thomas of Villanova (1555),[58] Mary, Queen of Scots (1587),[45][44][59] Aloysius Gonzaga (1591),[60] Torquato Tasso (1595),[44] Turibius of Mogrovejo (1606),[61] John Bruen (1625),[62] George Herbert (1633),[45][63] Covenanters including Hugh Mackail (1666) and James Renwick (1688),[45] and Christian Friedrich Schwarz (1798).[64]

See alsoEdit

  • Musical settings of sayings of Jesus on the cross
  • Stations of the Cross
  • Aramaic of Jesus
  • Crucifixion of Jesus
  • Life of Jesus in the New Testament
  • Three Hours’ Agony

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1988). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 4. Eerdmans Press. p. 426. ISBN 0-8028-3784-0.
  2. ^ Kelly, Joseph F. (2006). An Introduction to the New Testament for Catholics. Liturgical Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-8146-5216-9.
  3. ^ a b c d Holden, Leslie (2006). Jesus: The Complete Guide. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 627. ISBN 0-8264-8011-X.
  4. ^ Ehrman, Bart D. (2009). Jesus, Interrupted. HarperCollins. pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-0-06-117393-6.
  5. ^ McCrocklin, W. (2006). Jesus of Nazareth. Xulon Press. p. 134. ISBN 1-59781-863-1.
  6. ^ a b Houlden, Leslie (2003). Jesus in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 645. ISBN 1-57607-856-6.
  7. ^ Young, Richard (2005). Echoes from Calvary, Volume 1. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 190–191. ISBN 978-0742543843. Interestingly, the Methodist Book of Worship adopted by the General Conference of 1964 presented two services for Good Friday: a Three Hours’ Service for the afternoon and a Good Friday evening service that includes the «Adoration at the Cross» (the Gospel, Deprecations, and Adoration of the Cross) but omits a communion service, which would be the Methodist equivalent of the Mass of the Presanctified.
  8. ^ «Good Friday». The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 13. The Encyclopedia Americana Corporation. 1919. p. 51 – via HathiTrust Digital Library. The ‘Three Hours’ Devotion, borrowed from Roman usage, with meditation on the ‘seven last words’ from the Cross, and held from 12 till 3, when our Lord hung on the Cross, is a service of Good Friday that meets with increasing acceptance among the Anglicans.
  9. ^ Majernik, Jan (2005). The Synoptics. Emmaus Road Press. p. 190. ISBN 1-931018-31-6.
  10. ^ Radcliffe, Timothy (2005). Seven Last Words. Burns & Oates. p. 11. ISBN 0-86012-397-9.
  11. ^ a b Dunn, James G. D. (2003). Jesus Remembered. Eerdmans. pp. 779–81. ISBN 0802839312.
  12. ^ Luke 23:34
  13. ^ Robbins, Vernon K. (1998). «From Enthymeme to Theology in Luke 11:1–13». In Thompson, Richard P. (ed.). Literary Studies in Luke-Acts. pp. 200–01. ISBN 0-86554-563-4.
  14. ^ McWilliams, Warren (1998). «Passion Narrative». In Mills, W. E.; Bullard, R. A. (eds.). Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Mercer University Press. p. 648. ISBN 0-86554-373-9.
  15. ^ Kurz, William S. (1993). Reading Luke-Acts: Dynamics of Biblical Narrative. John Knox Press. p. 201. ISBN 0-664-25441-1.
  16. ^ O’Toole, Robert F. (2004). Luke’s Presentation of Jesus: A Christology. Pontifical Biblical Institute. p. 215. ISBN 88-7653-625-6.
  17. ^ Cox, Steven L.; Easley, Kendell H. (2007). Harmony of the Gospels. Holman Bible Publishers. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-8054-9444-0.
  18. ^ Ehrman, Bart (March 24, 2019). «Did Jesus Pray «Father Forgive Them» from the Cross?». The Bart Ehrman Blog.
  19. ^ Luke 23:43
  20. ^ a b c d Christman, A. R. (2010). «The Early Church». In Buckley, J.; Bauerschmidt, F. C.; Pomplun, T. (eds.). The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism. Blackwell Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4443-3732-7.
  21. ^ John 19:26–27
  22. ^ «John 2:4». Bible Hub. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  23. ^ Brownrigg, Ronald (2005). Who’s Who in the New Testament. Taylor & Francis. p. 201. ISBN 9781134509508.
  24. ^ Brown, Raymond E. (1966). The Gospel According to John (i–xii). The Anchor Bible. Doubleday & Company. p. 99. ISBN 0385015178.
  25. ^ Brown 1966, pp. 107–9
  26. ^ Mark 15:34
  27. ^ Matthew 27:46
  28. ^ «Habakkuk 1:13». Bible Hub. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  29. ^ Conner, W. T. (1954). The Cross in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press. p. 34. OCLC 2882455.
  30. ^ «Pulpit Commentary – Mark 15:34». Bible Hub. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  31. ^ Ulmer, Rivka (2011). «Psalm 22 in Pesiqta Rabbati: The Suffering of the Jewish Messiah and Jesus». In Garber, Zev (ed.). The Jewish Jesus. Purdue University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-55753-579-5.
  32. ^ Robertson, A. T. (1973). Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1. Broadman-Holman. ISBN 0-8054-1307-3.[page needed]
  33. ^ «Gospel of Peter». Early Christian Writings. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  34. ^ John 19:28
  35. ^ Hamilton, Adam (2009). 24 Hours That Changed the World. Abingdon Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-687-46555-2. Once again we find John using a small detail to point to something of deeper significance. God had commanded that hyssop branches be used to sprinkle the blood of the Passover lamb above the doors of the dwellings of the Israelites when the firstborn of the Egyptians were killed (Exodus 12:22). It was hyssop wrapped in yarn that was used to sprinkle blood and water upon the lepers (Leviticus 14) and on the ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19) so that they might be made clean again. When David offered his prayer of confession in Psalm 51, he cried out to God, ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean’ (verse 7); and the writer of Hebrews notes that after Moses gave the people the commandments, ‘he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, saying, «This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.«‘ (Hebrews 9:19–20).
  36. ^ Nicoll, W. R. «Expositor’s Greek Testement – John 19». Bible Hub. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  37. ^ Jones, Alexander, ed. (1966). The Jerusalem Bible. Darton, Longman & Todd. John 19:28.
  38. ^ John 19:30
  39. ^ «What does the Greek word ‘tetelestai’ mean?». Bible.org. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  40. ^ «Douay-Rheims Bible – John 19:30». Bible Hub. Retrieved 12 September 2021. Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.
  41. ^ Milligan, George (1997). The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. Hendrickson. ISBN 1-56563-271-0.[page needed]
  42. ^ Luke 23:46
  43. ^ «A Wonderful Prayer». The Christian Treasury. Edinburgh: Johnstone, Hunter. 35: 117. 1879.
  44. ^ a b c d e Thompson, Augustus Charles (1869). Seeds and Sheaves: Or, Words of Scripture; Their History and Fruits. Gould and Lincoln. pp. 282–284.
  45. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lockyer, Herbert (1993). «Psalm 31». Psalms: A Devotional Commentary. Kregel Publications. pp. 118–124. ISBN 978-0-8254-9742-1.
  46. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 48
  47. ^ Butler 1866, June 14
  48. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 83
  49. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 52
  50. ^ Morris, John (1859). The Life and Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket. London: Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 331.
  51. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 147
  52. ^ Wratislaw, Albert Henry (1882). John Hus: The Commencement of Resistance to Papal Authority on the Part of the Inferior Clergy. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. ISBN 978-0-7905-6158-5.
  53. ^ Abbott, John Stevens Cabot (1875). The Life of Christopher Columbus. Dodd & Mead. ISBN 978-0-7222-8370-7.
  54. ^ Perlove, Shelley Karen (1990). Bernini and the Idealization of Death: The Blessed Ludovica Albertoni and the Altieri Chapel. Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-271-00684-0.
  55. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 73
  56. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 175
  57. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 85
  58. ^ Butler 1866, September 18
  59. ^ Carruthers, James (1831). The History of Scotland: During the Life of Queen Mary, and Until the Accession of Her Son James to the Crown of England. Edinburgh. p. 453.
  60. ^ Butler 1866, June 21
  61. ^ Butler 1866, March 23
  62. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 166
  63. ^ Lockyer 1975 p. 107
  64. ^ Germann, Wilhelm (1870). Missionar Christian Friedrich Schwartz: sein Leben und Wirken aus Briefen des Halleschen Missionsarchivs (in German). Erlangen: Andreas Deichert. p. 381. In deine Hände befehle ich meinen Geist, du hast mich erlöset, du getreuer Gott!

BibliographyEdit

  • Butler, Alban (1866). The Lives of the Saints. Dublin: James Duffy – via Bartleby.com.
  • Lockyer, Herbert (1975). Last words of saints and sinners. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications. ISBN 978-0-8254-3102-9.

Further readingEdit

  • Anderson-Berry, David (1871). The Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross. Glasgow: Pickering & Inglis Publishers.
  • Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910). «The Seven Last Words on the Cross and the Death of our Lord» . A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. Herder.
  • Long, Simon Peter (1966). The Wounded Word: A Brief Meditation on the Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross. Baker Books.
  • Pink, Arthur (2005). The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. Baker Books. ISBN 0-8010-6573-9.
  • Rutledge, Fleming (2004). The Seven Last Words From The Cross. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-2786-1.
Источник

The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner stone of our faith. It is the chosen symbol of the Christian faith. Thank God, we see it now as an empty cross because the seeming tragedy for good and apparent victory for evil was overturned by the power and purposes of God into the triumph of the resurrection of Jesus. But what does it mean to us? Is the Cross in our experience more meaningful than a nicely sculpted piece of wood or an elegantly-shaped piece of gold hung around the neck? The Cross of Christ is God’s final word as to the character and consequence of human sin, and of the wonder and sacrifice of divine love.

Jesus went to the Cross so that we, through his death and resurrection might have a personal relationship with God and that we might know its power in every area of our lives. When we speak of «the Cross», we’re not thinking of it in the purely physical sense of two rough pieces of wood, bolted together and suspended by its vertical section before being dropped into a hole in the ground. To the Christian, it is much more than that — «the Cross» is a «shorthand» expression meaning the death of Jesus. It’s Jesus stretched out between heaven and earth, suffering more than anyone has ever suffered, for you and me. The Cross is Jesus as our Saviour. There is no holier place that we can ever hope to come to — the Cross is the place «to where heaven’s love and heaven’s justice meet».

The Gospels contain a most wonderful commentary on the Cross in the words of Jesus himself, spoken from the Cross itself. Seven sayings are recorded: if there were more we don’t know but surely it’s significant that seven is God’s perfect number. It represents completeness and wholeness. As Jesus hung upon that Cross almost two thousand years ago, he made seven great statements, treasured by believers as the Seven Words from the Cross. They cover the basic needs of mankind. Let’s meditate on them together as our Lord’s testament to a world wrecked by sin, bowed down by needs of healing in body, mind and spirit. The Words from the Cross reveal God’s answer to our basic needs.

THE FIRST WORD

«Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing» (Luke 23:34).

«Forgive them» said Jesus. Who, I wonder, was Jesus referring to? There were many groups of people around the Cross. Closest to him would have been the execution party, soldiers of the Roman garrison, coarsened by discipline and cruelty. They had the unspeakable task of nailing a human being to a cross, but perhaps they were the least guilty of all parties who were responsible for putting to death an innocent man — after all, they were under the strict instructions of the Roman Governor, and to fail to co-operate in the execution would have meant instant death for themselves. Yet they were involved — they crucified the Lord of glory.

As Jesus prayed his utterly unselfish prayer «Father, forgive them» his eyes would have taken in other groups: they were the teachers who hated him, the priests who bought him with silver, the traitor who sold him to them, the crowd who had cried «crucify him» at the farce of his trial, and in the distance was Pilate in his palace trying to salve his conscience by blaming somebody else for what was happening. But I like to think that Jesus was encompassing a wider body of people than those I have mentioned: there was the band of disciples who had been his constant companions for nearly three years. Had they lifted a finger to prevent this act of barbarism? They were there, at a discreet distance, perhaps standing next to the secret disciples of Jesus, those kindly men Nicodemus and Joseph who were to minister to the dead body of Jesus. But as Jesus endured the torture of crucifixion, they failed to make even a token protest against the terrible atrocity being committed.

What does this tell us? All these groups either actively or passively helped to crucify Jesus — they were all guilty, but in a very real sense they are only representatives of a wider number of those responsible for crucifying Jesus, because the message of the Bible is that it was the sin of the world which crucified Jesus. The gospel writers simply wrote «They crucified Jesus». Who crucified him? I’ll tell you who crucified him. I did — and you did, and they did, those groups around the cross. The old Negro spiritual asked the question, «Were you there when they crucified my Lord?» “They” crucified the Lord? It would be truer to say «We crucified the Lord». Every one of us is equally guilty, «They do not know what they do» said Jesus. What a perceptive word this is. Mankind had become so blinded by evil, so corrupted by sin that it reacted violently to the purity and holiness of God as shown in the Lord Jesus Christ. These poor representatives of mankind were swept along by the power of Satan in seeking to destroy the Lord of glory — «they do not know what they do» — but they did it all the same.

Источник

New International Version (NIV)

Version

Encyclopedia of The Bible – Seven Words from the Cross

Seven Words from the Cross

SEVEN WORDS FROM THE CROSS. These sayings of the dying Savior form an important part of His self-disclosure. Taken together, they reveal the great strength and beauty of His character, and indicate in two instances the extent of His spiritual and physical distress. Probably they were spoken in the following order: (1) the intercessory prayer (Luke 23:34), (2) the response to the robber’s prayer (23:43), (3) the word to His mother and the beloved disciple (John 19:26, 27), (4) the cry of spiritual desolation (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34), (5) the admission of physical need (John 19:28), (6) the proclamation of success (19:30), (7) the trustful committal (Luke 23:46).

Textual problems emerge in two cases. Luke 23:34, supported by most Gr. MSS, is omitted by MSS B, D, and some other authorities. However, Harnack, Zahn, and Streeter defend the authenticity of the passage. Certain scribes may have omitted it on the ground that the destruction of Jerusalem implied that Jesus’ prayer had not been answered. The second dispute concerns Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34. Both gospels give the Aram. with the LXX tr. of Psalm 22:1, slightly altered in Matthew. But if, in fact, Jesus quoted the Heb. it would account better for the misunderstanding which followed.

Three sayings belong to the early morning before the scene was enveloped in mysterious darkness. The first (Luke 23:34) shows that Jesus perfectly exemplified His own ethical standard (Matt 5:44) under the severest test. The second (Luke 23:43) reveals His unselfish pity, clear knowledge of what awaited Him beyond death, and His ability to rescue the dying penitent from utter ruin and bring him directly to the region of enduring blessing. The third (John 19:26, 27) makes plain that He did not fail in His duty and concern for His earthly parent. His last word about a human being expresses care for Mary. A considerable interval followed these sayings during which the deepest suffering was experienced in silence. Then the fourth saying (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34) discloses in the words of Psalm 22:1 acute awareness that He no longer enjoyed a sense of God’s fellowship. The fifth (John 19:28) fulfills Psalm 69:21 and betokens real physical distress. The sixth (John 19:30) tells of success, satisfaction, relief. It marks the completion of the work essential to man’s salvation. With the seventh saying, the words of Psalm 31:5 preceded by “Father,” Jesus entrusted His spirit to God.

Bibliography W. H. Griffith Thomas, “The Words from the Cross,” ExpT XXVII (1915-1916), 46; T. E. Young, “A Fresh Exposition of the Cries from the Cross,” ExpT XXXIX (1927-1928), 93; R. G. Turnbull, The Seven Words From the Cross (1956); J. M. Spurrell, “An Interpretation of ‘I Thirst,’” Church Quarterly Review, 167 (1966), 12-18.

Источник

An examination of, and meditation upon, the seven sayings spoken by Jesus on the cross — aka «the seven last words» — as well as the associated total solar eclipse. Every saying is examined from different perspectives, each intended to make the reader think more deeply about Jesus’ life and death and feel the sayings’ applications to his own life. The writer also provides various suggestions for enriching one’s faith life and doing good.

St. Robert Bellarmine was a famous and controversial figure, deeply involved in the Counter-Reformation, apologetics, theological disputes, and the development of legal theory. His work eventually provided the natural law underpinnings for the American Revolution. After his retirement, he wrote several devotional books for normal people which became international bestsellers, including this book, The Mind’s Ascent to God, and The Art of Dying Well. He is counted a Doctor of the Church.

There are 35 chapters in this work. More chapters will be added until it is complete.

For more public domain audiobooks podcast six days a week, please visit marialectrix.wordpress.com.

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